


Our story from another Earth

by dreamerbydawn



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Earth 1 characters are all safe I promise, Established Relationship, Heavy Angst, Hopeful Ending, M/M, Secret Relationship, married Earth 2 Coldflash, original character death, referenced character death, that everyone finds out about, well more of a bittersweet ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-27
Updated: 2016-01-27
Packaged: 2018-05-16 17:45:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,536
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5834905
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreamerbydawn/pseuds/dreamerbydawn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Another you, another me, from another earth huh? And here I thought my visit to the seventies was the clincher of the week"</p><p>Or</p><p> Zoom brings in Earth two's Detective Leonard Snart to meet the Flash who might be secretly dating Captain Cold. Not to mention the other Earth's Barry and Len are already married. Must be just a normal Tuesday for Team Flash then.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Our story from another Earth

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Gl1tchG1rl](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gl1tchG1rl/gifts).



> Zoom is a nightmare. Also this is mostly cannon - except Patty doesn't exist. And Barry's been dating Len for a while now.

 

 Barry Allen being the Flash was probably the worst kept secret in Central City, but inversely, his relationship with Leonard Snart definitely had to be the best kept one.

 In fact, up until just twenty four hours ago, no one outside of the two of them had known about it.

 -----x-----

 Joe summoned him to the precinct claiming absolute urgency, and Barry had Flashed over to his lab, only to freeze by the doorway at the sight of his foster father and supposed to be _secret_ boyfriend; sitting across each other, arms crossed and severe frowns on their faces.  

 Barry remained where he was for another half second, eyes volleying between the pair of them, before lying to himself that there were several reasons Joe and Len could be talking to each other, and it didn’t particularly have to concern him at all.

 Repeating that flimsy lie over and over in his head, he pulled down his cowl.

 “Uh what’s this about guys?” He asked, wincing immediately at how lame that sounded.

 “Barry, meet Detective Leonard Snart of the CCPD, Earth 2” Joe explained, pointedly glaring at the man, and the badge on the desk that Barry had just noticed, before turning to him with an expression that said Joe was clearly done with the world.

 Barry would have tried to process all of that better, if Len – or Not Len - hadn’t simply passed out.

\-----x--------

 Twenty minutes later, Team Flash found itself at STAR labs again, all of them gathered around the unconscious man Cisco had now dubbed Citizen Cold.

 “You’re serious? Snart works for the CCPD?” Iris checked with a severely frowning Jay.

 “Yes. We – he’s helped me with several cases, and is without a doubt one of the best men I’ve known” Jay answers firmly. And despite the astounded looks on several of the room’s occupants, Barry is not that shocked.

 “Guess on earth 2, Lewis Snart wasn’t the same asshole that failed his kids” Barry shrugged, seeing it all in his mind’s eyes – Len growing up with a good father and following his footsteps and becoming a cop…

 “Lewis Snart was an alcoholic lowlife. He owned a bar called 'Saints and Sinners' that basically housed every kind of drug trade possible. I personally returned him behind bars not too long ago, with the help of the good detective” Jay nods towards – Not Len – before continuing “From what I gathered, men like his father were the reason he became a cop”

 “Right, okay. So Zoom decided to send us Citizen Cold because….?” Cisco prompted, and Barry knows the moment of truth has arrived - but Joe speaks up first.

 “All he said was Zoom was asking him to find the Flash” The Detective answered.

 “And do what? A CCPD cop can’t kill the Flash like the rest of the metas have been trying to-” Caitlin begins.

 “Nor would he ever try to. Detective Snart knows the kind of monster Zoom is and will _never_ work with him” Jay dismisses instantly.

 “No one wants to work with Zoom Garrick. _Zoom_ takes something from them to force their hand” Harry finally enters the conversation, tone sharp as he glared at the other man.

 Before another argument could break out between the pair though, they hear a soft groan from the man lying the bed. Instantly, Jay switches his attention towards the Earth 2 detective, Barry only a step behind him because this man still _looked_ like Len.

 “Are you alright Detective?” The blond asks, placing a supporting hand on the man’s shoulder. 

 “Flash, you’re alive” Not Len says, blinking in surprise.

 “Yes” Jay answers simply, quietly giving Not Len a moment for everything else to catch up.

 Barry’s watching the expressions as well, studying them the way he would his Len; albeit on a face that doesn’t play his emotions that close to his chest.

 There’s surprise of course, which is clearly about Jay. Followed by a moment of confusion, that shifts to determination, before suddenly his eyes go wide and the color drains out of him. It looks for a moment like he’s ready to pass out again before he whispers one word.

  _“Barry”_

 Sharp blue eyes find Barry within seconds, and he is too shocked to even move, when the other man leaps out of the bed to frame his face with familiar hands.

 “Oh dear god, it’s you… _it’s really you_ ” Not Len is whispering, incredible joy and pain warring for dominance on his face.

 He looks so broken, standing there before Barry and smiling through his tears, that Barry can’t help cover those hands on his cheeks with his own.

 “It’s me Len.” He assures, before managing a small smile “Hi”

 That’s all it takes for Not Len to crumple against him, arms wrapping tight and squeezing him so hard he can barely breathe.

 There’s another moment of silence that stretches out, broken only occasionally by the sobs of the man pressed against Barry’s neck and Barry’s own gentle hushes, while the others process the scene before them.

\-----x-----

 “Your husband’s name was Barry Allen?” Jay is the first to recover, his question making the Len in Barry’s arms to freeze for a moment before he draws back.

 “Was?” Joe asks sharply, the implied death of even the doppelganger of his son enough to make him focus.

 “Detective Snart’s husband was one of the doctors that was killed in the attack at CCGH” Jay explains, this time causing Not Len to remove even the hand that had been clinging to Barry despite the distance.

 Barry reaches out again instantly though, trying to soothe the man, even as he prompted for a confirmation “Len?”

 “Barry - My Barry was a surgical intern at Central City General. We – we’d been married little over a year and together for close to five. He died trying to protect a thirteen year old patient” Not Len explained, voice strained and eyes closing as he relived his horrors.

 “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry” Barry consoles, the other man’s obvious pain taking precedence over his own shock.

 “It’s so weird to hear you say that” Not Len offers, accepting Barry’s hand and looking down at it inquisitively “And you’re not married”

 “Uh, no” Barry answers, trying to look away in hopes of avoiding the question he knew was coming next.

 “How long have you been together?” Len questions, tracing a thumb over Barry’s ring finger.

 Barry swallows heavily, caught again in familiar blue eyes as he informs “Almost a year”

\-----x-----

  There’s a general explosion of questions, a lot of choice swear words, some shouting and finally steely silence. Harry stepping in meant their attention was now back on Zoom, and the rest was to be discussed later.

 With a defeated sigh, Barry turns his attention to the only person left in the room.

 “I was sure someone was going to punch me for a minute there” Not Len comments

 “It’s complicated” is all Barry can manage to say, pinching at the bridge of his nose.

 “Right, because in this world, you’re the Flash and you’re dating Captain Cold who is your nemesis?” Not Len checks, easily summing up everything he’d gotten from the drama he’d just witnessed.

 Barry simply nods tiredly, glancing up only when Not Len steps into his space, his hands settling on Barry’s hips this time.

 “You always have to be the hero don’t you Barry?” his tone is soft, filled with equal parts devotion, admiration and longing “You know I thought – I always thought if one of us was going to step in front of a bullet while doing our job, it would be me. But you had to go prove me wrong”

 “I’m sorry you lost him. I keep saying that but – but I can’t even imagine how I’d – what I’d do if something happened to Len that I – I’m sorry”

 The words make Not Len smile again, the sadness heavy in his eyes as they meet Barry’s.

 “I’m a cop Barry. We had a deal. Something happens to me in the field, I do my damned best to get myself back home alive. But if I didn’t make it, one thing I wanted my Barry to do was keep going. He was too smart, too beautiful, too good to not be saving lives every day. I made him promise many times to not lose himself if he lost me. It only seemed fair I do what I’d asked of him.”

 Not Len’s voice broke at the last sentence and Barry could see plain as day that despite saying the words, the pain was killing the other man. It broke his heart to see any version of Len suffering and Barry was entirely unashamed to find himself crying as well.

 “Hey, no… if I’ve got another chance to see you, I want to see you smile Barry. Be radiant, like always. And even if you’re not really him, just getting to be here, to tell you one last time, for me, that I – I love you. _So much_. There’s not a minute I don’t think of you and marrying you was the best damned decision of my life Barry Allen”

 -----x------

 Citizen Cold was collecting himself in a spare room after having walked away from Barry, Cisco reports, pointing to one of the camera feeds that show the man having collapsed against the wall, a few rooms over.

 “How long should we give him?” Barry asks, not sure if the other Len was anywhere ready to see him again soon.

 “I think twenty minutes is long enough” Iris replies, surprising Barry by getting to her feet “It’s long enough for him to see me anyway”

 “Wait, Iris – he’s not – he’s not Captain Cold, your problems aren’t with him” Barry springs to his feet as well, trying to block her way out of the cortex.

 “I know that Bear. And right now it’s not about your relationship with Captain Cold. It’s about Citizen Cold and Doctor Flash. I might not know his Barry, but it’s still a version of you right? And anyone that’s ever wanted to talk about you has come to me, so maybe I can help him out too? Not to mention I can at least relate to him after losing Eddie”

 There was kindness in her eyes and a level of understanding there that made Barry step aside to let her handle things.

\----x-----

 Barry is running again. He doesn’t understand how any of this happened. Why had Zoom come back for Len?

 Not that it mattered. Because the only thing that did was that _Zoom had Len_. He didn’t care if it was the earth 2 version or an earth 22 version, it was still _Len_ and Zoom had him.

 So Barry is running, chasing after a man faster than him with no idea how he’s going to stop him if he does manage to catch up, but he’d take nearly being killed again before he lets anything happen to the man he loved.

 Cisco and Caitlin are shouting in his ear, Harry and Jay with them but all Barry can focus on is a continuous mantra of Len, Len, Len.

 He sees Zoom turn left and disappear, so Barry speeds up, eyes searching for the blue streak that’s now heading up a tower.

 Almost as if watching his worst nightmare play out, Barry follow again, reaching the top of the building Zoom is waiting at a few seconds later.

 Zoom’s hands are inside Len’s bleeding and broken body and Barry can’t even attempt to stifle the whimper that escapes.

 “Please” He begs, eyes fixed on Len and tears already streaming down his face.

 “Last time I broke your body Flash. This time I’ll break something that won’t heal so fast” Zoom’s words barely register in Barry’s mind.

 “ _Please_ ” He pleads again because right now, it’s all he can do.

 “I will take your speed soon, but I want to destroy you before I kill you. So now he will die in your arms Flash”

 With those words, Zoom flings Len’s body off the top of the building and Barry is already catapulting after, the monster behind him entirely forgotten.

 ----x-----

  Not Len dies in Barry’s arms, his last whispered ‘ _I love you_ ’ echoing long after the blood from their one kiss had been wiped off Barry’s lips.

  Since then, Barry had been brought back to STAR labs and after almost a day of being unresponsive, Caitlin had him hooked to an IV.

  In the six days since, his family and friends had tried everything to get him to come back to himself, and while their words always registered, all he felt was disconnected.

 It wasn’t just Len anymore, Barry was sure this was what would happen to every single person in his life. They’d be killed for it – by Zoom, by reverse Flash, by whoever.

 But they’d die, all of them, and Barry wouldn’t be able to save them; And he’d never have anyone to blame but himself.

 ----x-----

 On the seventh night, Barry sees Len being slammed into the glass wall outside his room by Harry.

 “You don’t understand Snart. You don’t just get to storm in here and not listen to anything we’re trying to say. You care about Barry, you pay attention.”

 Harry’s words are a snarl but Len’s shoulders relax a little, as though he’s waiting for the explanation.

 “The other you from Earth 2? Zoom snapped him like a piece of twig, broke every bone and left him in a pool of his own blood and Barry had to hold him when he died. Do you understand?”

 This time Harry had been quieter, but Barry still heard everything.

 There’s a moment of silence, followed by Len’s shaky voice “Understood”

 “Good” Harry releases Len before adding “He left his and the other Mr. Allen’s wedding rings with Barry as well. He’s refusing to let them go, you might want to finally get it away”

 ----x-----

 Barry isn’t surprised when it takes Len more than ten minutes after his confrontation with Harry to finally enter the room. But when he does, there’s nothing but pity in his gaze.

 “Hey Scarlet” Len whispers softly before putting on a smirk “Another you and another me from another Earth huh? And here I thought my visit to the seventies was the clincher of the week”   

 When Barry simply stares at him with wide tear filled eyes though, Len moves forward, pressing his lips in a kiss as chaste as the other one had been.

 “They’re both dead, but we’re here kid. We’re alive. You and I, we’re safe” Len promises, wiping at the tears now streaking Barry’s cheeks.

 Barry spills forward then, letting Len hold him as he cries; cries for the other version of them that never got their happy ending, for the terror that grips him at the idea of losing anyone else and simply for the unfairness of it all.

 When he finally feels himself drifting out of consciousness, Barry is still clutching at Len like a lifeline but hours of reassuring whispers means he knows Len loves him and they’re going forward from here together.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Before you bring out the pitchforks, let me just say... I couldn't imagine Len getting away if Zoom decides to use him against Barry and since I didn't want him to die, I had to bring in the Earth 2 version. Then it seemed cruel to leave Earth 2 Barry without his Len, so I decided to kill him off as well. Did that explanation make it better or worse?


End file.
